At a time when deep fiscal cuts are essential to avert an economic meltdown, it is imperative the government remember Shavuot’s message of unity.

As thousands reignite the socioeconomic demonstrations of two summers ago and
take to the streets to protest budget cuts proposed by Finance Minister Yair
Lapid, it would be worthwhile recalling Shavuot’s strong message of unity. The
rabbis teach that it was a temporary and uncharacteristic moment of Jewish unity
that facilitated the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, an event commemorated
by the holiday.

The book of Exodus (19:2) states that in the days
preceding the giving of the Torah, the Jewish people camped in the wilderness in
front of Mount Sinai. In Exodus, however, the singular form of the verb “to
camp” is used, even though millions of Jews were doing the camping. At that
time, explained the rabbis, the Jewish people were united “as one person, with
one heart.”

It was this unique state of unity that paved the way for the
receiving of the Torah.

Unfortunately, for most of biblical history the
Jews were far from united. They bickered among themselves before the Exodus and
during it. They bickered among themselves during their wanderings in the desert
and when they entered the Land of Israel. The short periods of unity under King
David and King Solomon were shattered by the internecine battles that led to the
split between Israel and Judah and eventually to destruction and
exile.

With the return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel after
nearly two millennia of exile, we have not stopped bickering; that
argumentative, authority-questioning aspect of Jewish and Israeli culture is
part of what makes us such a dynamic and innovative people.

But sometimes
this confrontational culture can go too far. There is a real danger that the
government could soon face widespread, spontaneous demonstrations protesting the
budget cuts recently proposed, unless a more balanced economic plan is presented
that shares the burden among the rich, the middle class and the poor and fosters
unity.

The lower and middle classes are rightly angry over the 2013-2014
state budget. Cuts to child allotments, a rise in VAT, a hike in the payments
parents make to public schools, a new health tax for housewives, cuts in free
dental care for children and more will hit those at the lower income levels
disproportionately hard.

These cuts are particularly unnerving coming
from Lapid, who promised a new approach to politics and vowed to protect the
rights of the middle class – and who has been chosen as The Jerusalem Post’s
most influential Jew of the year in our annual list appearing in today’s Shavuot
supplement.

Exacerbating an already volatile situation is the fact that
Lapid, in a blatant backtrack from his Yesh Atid party’s political platform, has
decided not to fight the Histadrut labor federation. Out of reluctance on
Lapid’s part to confront the powerful unions, the finance minister refrained
from taxing training funds (kranot histalmut), a type of pension fund enjoyed by
public sector workers, that could have brought in billions of shekels in tax
revenue, but which was strongly opposed by the Histadrut. Longshoremen, Israel
Electric Corporation employees and other powerful public sector groups will
continue to enjoy extravagantly high salaries and will not be forced to undergo
much needed reforms. No changes will be made in the public sector’s collective
labor agreements or in the management culture that makes it nearly impossible to
fire unproductive workers.

Also, Lapid did nothing to rectify our
distorted corporate tax system. Just last week, the Finance Ministry released a
report based on 2010 data showing that Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Intel
Israel, Israel Chemicals and Check Point paid an effective tax rate of just 3.3
percent while smaller businesses paid a corporate tax of between 13% and 20%.
These four companies received a whopping 70% of the NIS 5.6 billion in tax
exemptions under the Encouragement of Capital Investments Law.

For the
sake of unity, and to preempt massive grassroots demonstrations that could
endanger his and his party’s political future as well as the stability of the
government, Lapid must take additional steps to make it clear to the lower and
middle classes that they are not the only ones paying the price for previous
spendthrift governments.

At a time when deep fiscal cuts are essential to
avert an economic meltdown, it is imperative the government remember Shavuot’s
message of unity. The lower and middle classes will find it impossible to
swallow the bitter pill of sacrifices and belt-tightening measures unless they
feel they are part of a unified effort shared by all – including the Histadrut
and big business – “as one person, with one heart.”

Sites Of Interest

The Jerusalem Post Customer Service Center can be contacted with any questions or requests:
Telephone: *2421 * Extension 4 Jerusalem Post or 03-7619056 Fax: 03-5613699E-mail: [email protected]
The center is staffed and provides answers on Sundays through Thursdays between 07:00 and 14:00 and Fridays only handles distribution requests between 7:00 and
13:00
For international customers: The center is staffed and provides answers on Sundays through Thursdays between 7AM and 6PM
Toll Free number in Israel only 1-800-574-574
Telephone +972-3-761-9056
Fax: 972-3-561-3699
E-mail: [email protected]